FATAL STREET ACCIDENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16780, 8 July 1922, Page 13

FATAL STREET ACCIDENT.

DEATH OF A. E. TRIGGS. r I he adjourned inquest on Albert Ernest Triggs, who died on Tuesday as the result of injuries received in a collision with the motor-car driven bv J. B. Merrett in Oxford Terrace, at about six o'clock on Monday evening. was re-o-pened before Mr AY yveru Wilson. Coroner, ! yesterday afternoon. | Sergeant C. E. Roach appeared on behalf of the polio#, the deceasedN ! relatives were represented by Mr M. j J. Gresaon. and Air A. Lucas repre- ! .sented J. B. Merrett, the driver of the car. Hr 4\ . H, Saunders, house surgeon at the Christchurch Public Hospital, said that the deceased was admitted to the Hospital at 5.45 p.m. on Monday in an unconscious state. He was suffering from a small superficial cut. Later in the evening he began to show signs of pressure on the brain, evidently caused through haemorrhage, and his condition grew rapidly worse. Dr C. H. Gould operated about 9 p.m., but the patient never regained consciousness, and grew worse, dying at 1.30 the next afternoon. Death wag due to coma, caused by cerebral compression from inter-cranial haemorrhage. Dr C. H. Gould said that the deceased was in a hopeless condition owing to a. laceration of the brain, causing a free escape of brain substance. John B. Alerrett said that on the night of July 3 lie was motoring along oxfo*£ Terrace, between Cashel Sin and Worcester Street. He was going south to Durham Street. /He passed some cyclists and several pedestrians. When ho got near Cashel Street he saw a cyclist with a dim light coming towards him. The cyclist was riding between the two sets of tram lines. Witness was driving between the tram line and the kcrbiuir on the left-hand side. He crossed Hereford Street at ten miles an hour, and slightly accelerated to cross Cashel Street. He was on his right side when he observed the cyclist, who took a sudden turn to the right, and he concluded that he either forgot which side of 1 the rood he should have been on, or else he intended to call at some place on witness's side. Witness turned the car to the right, and this brought him on to the tram rails on the east side of the road. The cyclist turned instantly to the left, which was his side of the road. Witness immediately turned to get back to his side, but the cyclist kept straight on instead of continuing t> turn, and struck the car ’. falling over the mudgard and striking his •head on the road. Witness considered that his speed was fifteen miles an hour at the time he first saw t cyclist, and ho was reducing speed all the time. As soon as he sq,w that there was a danger of impact he applied the foot- brakes. He had no certificate of ability to drive. He naci applied several times, but the inspector had never had time to examine him. He had been driving a car lor over three years. To Air Gresson : The car was lit w ltn good anti-glare lamps. The brakes were in food order and had been relined only a fortnight before. If-the deceased' had kepr a diagonal course across the road, the accident would bore been avoided. It seemed inevitable that tho deceased should have been hit by the car. John Baliantyne Dowimg said that he was cycling; alone Cashel Street towards the bridge when he saw a motorcar coming along Oxford 'lerrace at a speed of from fifteen to twenty miles nu hour. He saw a cyclist who swerred in front of the car diagonally towards the river. The next thing ho saw was tLS collision. r » he motor-car seemed to go on about ten yards after i the accident occurred. Tf the cyclist had continued his progress he. would have passed the car on his wrong side of the road. Mark Charles Connor said that the road was very clear at the time, and the headlights on the car were good, but were not dazzling at a distance. The Coroner said that it was evident that the cvclist had got out of the line of traffic and he did not think the driver of the car was in any way to blame. A verdict was returned ’u accordance with the medical evidence.